Solo attorney Chuck Newton has an interesting post today on his Third Wave blog noting that for over a decade now, he has operated his practice out of his home. A proud "carpet commuter," Newton writes that he is amazed by the many lawyers who, despite being intrigued by the idea of working from home, cannot let themselves do it. Many such lawyers, Newton says, believe working from home will be "bad for business" -- which he argues simply shows that "law schools really do not teach
lawyers about business, or how to analyze business opportunities."

On the other hand, Newton observes, Congress has now passed a bill
requiring every federal agency to establish a policy under which employees will
be authorized to work from home to the "maximum extent possible." And he says that studies show that allowing employees to "telework" increases their productivity and can save companies thousands of dollars per employee.

My sense is that working from home will work much better for solos who are responsible for their own schedules and workload than for lawyers who work regularly with colleagues. The "home" in which you would work out of is also a key factor. In my case, with no detached office space in my home, I would (and sometimes do) contend with four loud-as-hell young children, a Labrador retriever, and far more interruptions than in an office environment. Other "home offices" no doubt have their own unique drawbacks.

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Does Working From Home Work for Lawyers?

Solo attorney Chuck Newton has an interesting post today on his Third Wave blog noting that for over a decade now, he has operated his practice out of his home. A proud "carpet commuter," Newton writes that he is amazed by the many lawyers who, despite being intrigued by the idea of working from home, cannot let themselves do it. Many such lawyers, Newton says, believe working from home will be "bad for business" -- which he argues simply shows that "law schools really do not teach
lawyers about business, or how to analyze business opportunities."

On the other hand, Newton observes, Congress has now passed a bill
requiring every federal agency to establish a policy under which employees will
be authorized to work from home to the "maximum extent possible." And he says that studies show that allowing employees to "telework" increases their productivity and can save companies thousands of dollars per employee.

My sense is that working from home will work much better for solos who are responsible for their own schedules and workload than for lawyers who work regularly with colleagues. The "home" in which you would work out of is also a key factor. In my case, with no detached office space in my home, I would (and sometimes do) contend with four loud-as-hell young children, a Labrador retriever, and far more interruptions than in an office environment. Other "home offices" no doubt have their own unique drawbacks.